Forecast for the Future

"Every individual without exception bears a potential writer within himself. The reason is that everyone has trouble accepting the fact that he will disappear unheard of and unnoticed in an indifferent universe, and everyone wants to make himself into a universe of words before it's too late.

Once the writer in every individual comes to life (and that time is not that far off), we are in for an age of universal deafness and lack of understanding."

I live relatively healthily (erm), but I could do better. These are my habits at this point in my life:- nicotine (smoker, 1-4 cigarettes per day, occasionally none)Began smoking in April 1996. Have gone through many phases as a smoker, beginning with a few cigarettes a day and working up toward nearly a pack a day into college. Quit for basically an entire year from September 2001 to October 2002 (minus one or two). Began smoking again with increasing frequency, going up beyond a pack a day until spring 2004, when I began a gentle decline that continued until to the point where I've basically been for much of the past four years of one to four cigarettes a day (making a point to rarely smoke before the workday is over). Throughout 2007 I cut down to only two or three cigarettes per week, but over past few months that number has gone back up again to "normal" levels. I will attempt to argue to you that I am still "Not Addicted to Smoking" after all these years.

- caffeine (coffee drinker, 1-3 cups per day)I have been drinking coffee daily since 1995 as a morning ritual. I've never really gone through a period where I "drank coffee all day", though for years in high school and college I would drink multiple evening cups at diners and at home. Since moving to New York in 2004, coffee drinking during the week is roughly confined to a single cup in the morning with maybe another cup during the day. Weekends I have a few more. With coffee, the ritual certainly matters a lot. Right now I am depressed thinking about leaving the house.

- alcohol (1-2 drinks occasionally on weeknights; "going out" on weekends)I began "drinking" in the same way as most teens--via liquor/beer swiped from parents and friends of parents. I've never been much of a drinker, though since graduating college and moving to New York I've developed steady behavior patterns of drinking beer or wine regularly with dinner and going out on Friday/Saturday night and having a few more drinks, sometimes getting drunk. In the past few months, I feel that both of these behaviors have increased slightly. My main concern with drinking alcohol is simply that it is expensive; a Friday or Saturday night out in New York can empty a wallet. Unlike smoking or coffee, I don't think I'll have any problems/difficulties not drinking alcohol, but it is certainly a little strange to go out in the evenings with friends and realize you may be the only one not drinking.

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We'll see how it all goes. I felt kind of depressed yesterday and maybe that was connected to a lack of caffeine/nicotine (smelling coffee in the morning certainly made me feel shitty), but it might have just been the cold/darkness. I'll certainly be able to test the strength of my nicotine addiction this week at least.

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Hyperliving 2008 Was...

A maximalist approach to "living right":- To live each week of 2008 committed to a singular task and see it through.- To complete these tasks as best I can; and when completion is not possible, to reflect momentarily and then continue moving forward onto the next task.- To not be tripped up by fear or uncertainty.- To not be deterred by failure, because the only failure in this game is giving up.- To blog the shit out of this thing until I can blog no more.